Can't save to AVI

[Gra]

Hi guys, me again.

I'm running XP SP2 and my camcorder is a Panasonic GS10. I've been trying to capture to AVI but everytime I highlight AVI, the format box jumps back to DV (I never eperienced that problem with VS5). I had a look in the project properties and checked the AVI box from MPEG. However the compression then shows 'None'. I tried various of the compression options but that still did not cure the problem (mind you, I wasn't quite sure what I should have been choosing there in the first place). Anyone any ideas or is the DV setting really the same as AVI all along???

Also, on something completely different, I see the expression 'authoring' quite often; is that just a fancy name for making a video?

Regards and thanks in advance for any help or guidance.
Gra

[BrianCee]

Yes the DV setting is the same all along and is the setting to use when capturing digital video over a firewire - it will capture to an .avi file on your PC - after selecting DV you should then choose whatever compression you wish to use.

Authoring applies to the process after you have edited your video of preparing your video for burning a DVD and is generally taken as creating menus, with chapters - converting the video to .vob files and packing them inside the Video-TS folder for burning to DVD

[Gra]

Thanks for the advice and web details (and putting my mind at rest that nothing is wrong) but is there any easy to follow advice anywhere out there on the best AVI compression settings to use (it's all a foreign language to me when I see words like 'encoders', 'codecs' and 'compressors' - although I'm suddenly learning fast).

Thanks for the explanation of authoring - so that's what it actually means...

regards.
Gra

[Ken Berry]

'DV' is just a special version of the general 'AVI' format developed by Microsoft to in effect transfer the video from your camera to your computer and maintain exactly the same quality. It already involves a degree of compression -- an uncompressed, 'native' AVI file is incredibly large, even though you might already think that a DV file is huge.

But once you choose DV, you don't have to worry about changing the compression -- it is already built in, so to speak.

It is really only when you are converting the DV format to MPEG-2 for final burning that you have to worry about compression. But again, for most purposes, choosing one of the general options presented by Video Studio will usually do the job (8000 kbps for best quality and giving about 1 hour per DVD; 6000 for medium quality and 1.5 hours; 4000 for average but still good DVD and 2 hours...) It is only if you want to vary one of these settings, or fit more (or less) on a DVD that you have to worry about choosing a specific compression rate....